Formal Languages and Compiler

Automata Theory, Abstract Machines,

Finite Automata

Ziaurahman Hikmat

ziaurahman.hikmat1@gmail.com
Nangarhar University Computer Science Faculty

18 October 2023

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LECTURE OVERVIEW
֎ Automata Theory
֎ Abstract machines
֎ Turing machine
֎ Finite automata
֎ Deterministic Finite Automata
֎ Introduction
֎ Representation of DFA’s
֎ Languages of DFA

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 WHAT IS AUTOMATA THEORY?
֎ Automata theory also called Theory of computation.
֎ Automata Theory is the study of abstract computing devices or
machines.
֎ An Abstract machine is a theoretical model that allows for a
detailed and precise analysis of how a computer system works.
֎ Alan Turing in 1930’s studied an abstract machine that had all the
capabilities of today’s computers.
֎ Finite automata and certain kinds of formal grammars, are used in
the design and construction of important kinds of software.
֎ Turing machine, helps in understanding what we can expect form
our software.

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 TURING MACHINE

Abstract Turing Machine

Working prototype

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 AUTOMATA EXAMPLE
֎ Simplest finite automation is an on/off switch.
֎ Device remembers whether it is in the ‘on’ state or the ‘off’ state.
֎ It allows user to press a button whose effect is different, depending
on the state of the switch as:
֎ The switch is in the off state, pressing the button changes it to
the on state.
֎ If the switch is in the on state, pressing the same button turns
it to the off state.

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 FINITE AUTOMATA
֎ Finite Automat: automation having a set of states, and controls which
moves from state to state in response to some external input.
֎ Regular languages are described using finite automata Classified
based on the determinism of the control movement
֎ Deterministic (DFA): the automaton cannot be in more than one
state at any one time.
֎ Non-Deterministic (NFA): it may be in several states at once.

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 DFA AND NFA

DFA Start S0 S2
S1

S1 S2

NFA Start
S0

S3 S4

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 DETERMINISTIC FINITE AUTOMATA
֎ In DFA no two edges leaving from same state are labeled with the
same symbol.
֎ It follows:
֎ Starting from the start state, automation follows exactly one
path (edge) to get to the next state.
֎ The edge has to be labeled with the input character After making
n transitions for n long character string, if the automaton is in the
final state, it accepts the string otherwise rejects.

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 FORMAL DEFINITION OF DFA
A Deterministic Finite Automata, DFA for short, is a tuple:
A = (S, V, δ, s0, F):
֎ S is a finite non empty set of states;
֎ V is the input symbol alphabet;
֎ δ : S × V → S is a total function called the Transition Function;
֎ s0 ∈ S is the initial state;
֎ F ⊆ S is the set of final states.

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 TRANSITION FUNCTION
֎ Takes two arguments: a state and an input symbol.
֎ δ( q ,a ) = the state that the DFA goes to when it is in state q and an
input a is received.

Representation of DFA
֎ Graph representaiton
֎ Transition table

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 GRAPH REPRESENTATION OF DFA
֎ Nodes = states
֎ Arcs represent transition function
֎ Arc from state p to state q labeled by all those input symbols
that have transitions from p to q
֎ Arrow labeled ‘Start’ to the start state
֎ Final states indicated by double circles

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 DFA REPRESENTATION USING TRANSITION TABLE
֎ Let us consider D1 = (S ={q1,q2,q3},V ={0,1},δ, SS = q1, FS ={q1,q2})
then:

0 1
*q1 q1 q2
*q2 q1 q3
q3 q3 q3

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 EXAMPLE: GRAPH OF DFA
String 101 is in the language of the DFA below
Start at q1

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 EXAMPLE: GRAPH OF DFA
String 101 is in the language of the DFA below
Follow arc labeled 1

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 EXAMPLE: GRAPH OF DFA
String 101 is in the language of the DFA below
Then arc labeled 0 from current state q2

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 EXAMPLE: GRAPH OF DFA
String 101 is in the language of the DFA below
Then arc labeled 1 from current state q1

Finally arc labeled 1 from current state (q1). Result is an accepting state (q2),
so 101 is in the language.

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 LANGUAGES OF DFA
֎ The language of our example DFA is:
{w | w is in {0,1} and w does not have two consecutive 1’s}

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 REFERENCES
Alfred V. Aho, Monica S. Lam, Ravi Sethi and Jeff Ullman. (2007)
Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools , 2nd Edition
J.E. Hopcroft, R. Motwani, J.D. Ullman. (2007)
Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation, 3rd
Edition

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 THIS IS ENOUGH!
Any questions?
Suggestions?

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